Classroom Acoustics – Impact on Listening and Learning

NOISY CLASSROOMS

A 10 minute Classroom Noise file (mpeg) is provided for your use when administering the Functional Listening Evaluation, working with students on listening in noise or when demonstrating listening in noise challenges.

Ideas on how to quiet noisy students: Go here . But noisy students are the easiest problem to handle when it comes to challenging classroom listening environments. How the classroom was built and the sounds surrounding it will define the background noise levels and reverberation times.

Representing classroom listening issues visually: Visual Analogies for speech perception challenges when listening in a classroom. Explaining the effects of reverberation and background noise can be challenging. These visual representations help the teacher or other individual to recognize the challenge posed by poor acoustics and communicates how this issue can result in reduced pace of learning. Also a puzzle analogy is also included to represent speech audibility and speech perception.

Student learning about classroom noise issues: Information for students or schools who want a fun way to learn about these issues can go to Quiet Classrooms, an alliance of non-profit organizations working to create better learning environments in schools by reducing noise.

Checklist for student to identify acoustic issues: Estimating Classroom Noise Effects This 10—question checklist for students identifies aspects of classroom listening problems that may be related to poor classroom acoustics. Classroom Acoustical Screening Survey Worksheet This 10-question checklist is to be completed by classroom teachers or observing teachers or educational audiologists. Any item of the 10 checked NO would raise a concern. Considering items from both of these checklists is a useful means to identify classrooms (or even schools) where poor acoustics is a concern and acoustic measurement may be warranted.

Apps to use to measure background noise in classrooms: Consider these apps to measure background noise in the classroom: Too Noisy Pro, Noise Hunter, NoiSee, SoundMeter, SPLnFFT. More info here. Per the acoustic standards, the background noise level should not exceed 35 dBA and we know that students with hearing loss need to have a +15 S/N to be able to perceive speech sounds optimally. How close do your student’s classrooms come to this? Even a gross measure of the teacher talking versus when she is not talking (preferably close to the center of the room at student ear height) via a phone app will give an idea as to whether the background noise level and teacher speech level are just a few dB different or are considerably different.

Summary of classroom acoustics research: ARTICLE: Kids in Noisy Classrooms: What Does the Research Really Say? Over 40 years of research findings have been categorized and summarized in this paper. The synergistic effects of background noise and reverberation on listening and learning result in a serious impediment to learning.

Open Plan Classrooms, or classrooms without walls, are a hazard to learning for ALL students. Read here for an article that clearly illustrates the listening issues related to open plan classrooms. The figure to the right illustrates the findings for typically hearing kindergarten students. Any student with auditory or attention issues can be assumed to perform more poorly than typically hearing students.

The Ted Talks video recording below has been included because it truly is an eloquent description providing vivid examples of how poor classroom acoustics effect learning and the costs to improve.

Because of poor acoustics, students in classrooms miss 50 percent of what their teachers say and patients in hospitals have trouble sleeping because they continually feel stressed. Julian Treasure sounds a call to action for designers to pay attention to the “invisible architecture” of sound.

MAKING THE CASE FOR CLASSROOM ACOUSTIC CONCERNS

Visual Analogies for speech perception challenges when listening in a classroom. Explaining the effects of reverberation and background noise can be challenging. These visual representations help the teacher or other individual to recognize the challenge posed by poor acoustics and communicates how this issue can result in reduced pace of learning. Also a puzzle analogy is also included to represent speech audibility and speech perception.

Missing Bits and Pieces of Words This is a fun exercise that illustrates listening difficulties if classroom acoustics and/or hearing loss causes the higher frequency portions of words to become inaudible. Guess the story based on the ‘words’ presented. Consider how long it took you to figure it out. Those who never heard the story before (imagine new vocabulary in classrooms) may be at a loss to understand the meaning.